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Our blogs provide fresh, impassioned and authoritative commentary and insight about the variety of civil-liberties issues that the ACLU of Michigan takes up each day in our courts, governments and communities.

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With the help of dedicated volunteers and community activists, the ACLU of Michigan works to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the individual rights and liberties that are guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

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The ACLU of Michigan is one of more than 50 affiliates in the United States. As such, we encourage you to know as much as possible about your civil liberties. Further, if you feel those liberties have been violated, we suggest you submit a complaint. We only accept complaints that occur within the State of Michigan. If your complaint arose in a state other than Michigan, you must contact the ACLU office in that state.

About Us

Since our founding in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union has led the fight to conserve our most precious liberties. Through the passion of our supporters, we have grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists to an organization of more than 500,000 active members and supporters with 54 state affiliate offices as well as a legislative office in Washington, DC.

Hamama v. Adducci

2018-10-25 00:00:00

The ACLU sued Immigration and Customs Enforcement in June 2017 on behalf of Iraqi residents and their families in the U.S., after ICE agents arrested more than 100 Iraqi nationals without warning — including many who came to the U.S. as children and who’ve lived in the U.S. for decades — in raids throughout Metro Detroit.

The ACLU of Michigan, in a letter sent today to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, has asked the retail giant to remove merchandise bearing the offensive, racial slur “Redkins” from its store in Paw Paw, Michigan. The racial slur is the name of the Paw Paw High School mascot and has been the subject of ongoing controversy in the town and surrounding community.

ACLU Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Detroit Police Department

2018-08-23 00:00:00

Hostile work environment includes discrimination, retaliation against African-American officers, says 11-year veteran of city police force

DETROIT – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Detroit, the Detroit Police Department (DPD), Detroit Police Chief James Craig and several DPD executives and officers.

The ACLU of Michigan announced today a federal lawsuit against the Flint police for placing a disabled child, Cameron McCadden, in handcuffs when he was seven years old.

The incident took place while Cameron was attending an after-school program in October 2015. At the time, he was less than four feet tall and weighed 55 pounds. Cameron did not at any time pose a danger of physical harm to himself or anyone else.

ACLU Wins Emergency Order from U.S. District Court Preventing Harassment of Iraqi Detainees

2018-06-20 00:00:00

Attorneys Can Visit Clients; ICE Will Tell Detainees They Can’t Be Deported for Refusing to Go to Iraq

DETROIT – U.S. District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith today issued an emergency order granting immediate relief to Iraqi detainees. The order prohibits harassment by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intended to pressure long-time U.S. residents into agreeing to be deported.

ACLU Asks Judge for Emergency Order to Stop ICE from Coercing Iraqi Detainees

2018-06-14 00:00:00

DETROIT – The ACLU of Michigan has filed an emergency motion to protect Iraqis detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from illegal coercion and intimidation. On behalf of detainees and their families, the ACLU is asking the court to stop threats and misinformation by ICE agents, intended to pressure long-time U.S. residents into agreeing to be deported. Many detainees are from persecuted ethnic or religious minority groups.

ACLU of Michigan Executive Director Announces Departure After 20 Years

2018-06-11 00:00:00

Kary L. Moss to join national ACLU senior leadership team

DETROIT – After serving twenty years as the executive director of the ACLU of Michigan, Kary L. Moss announced today that she will leave her post in November to join the senior leadership team at the ACLU national office as the Director of Affiliate Support & Nationwide Initiatives. The ACLU’s greatest strength is its network of state affiliates and more than 1100 staff who work out of the state offices.

ACLU of Michigan Files FOIA on Execution of Trump’s Immigration Ban

2017-02-02 00:00:00

WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan filed a FOIA request today with its local U.S. Customs and Border Protection office to expose how Trump administration officials are interpreting and executing the president’s unconstitutional immigration ban, acting in violation of federal courts that ordered a stay on the ban’s implementation.

The ACLU is a private, non-profit, membership organization. Our mission is to preserve and extend constitutional rights through participation in legislation, litigation and community education. We usually become involved in cases (either by representing a party or submitting a "friend of the court" brief) only when we believe that we can advance civil liberties through a change in law or policy. And, since the constitution is designed to protect people from abuse of power by the government, the ACLU primarily challenges the government, rather than private organizations or individuals. If possible, we encourage you to visit our state and national websites for more information about the scope of the ACLU's work.

If you wish to request assistance from the ACLU, we strongly urge you to submit a complaint onlineusing the form below. You may also write to us at 2966 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48201. You can also send us a fax at (313) 578-6811, or call us at (313) 578-6800 during our telephone intake hours of 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Monday or Wednesday.

The complaint form below reflects the type of information that is necessary for us to review your complaint, and it can be written on a separate sheet. Try to be as detailed as possible, and provide documentation to support your claim. Please be advised that, due to limited storage space, we do not maintain closed files in our office.